The passages about remarriage after divorce should be read together: in Mark 10:11–12 and Luke 16:18, marrying another after divorce is called adultery without qualification, while Matthew 5:32 and 19:9 include an exception for sexual immorality. Paul adds the case of an unbelieving spouse leaving (1 Corinthians 7:15). Christians answer this question differently; no universal “yes” or “no” is given here without considering the reasons for the divorce.
What does the Bible say about this?
- In Mark 10:11–12 and Luke 16:18, a divorced person who marries another commits adultery; Mark 10:12 says the same about a wife.
- Matthew 19:9 calls divorcing a wife who cannot be accused of sexual immorality and marrying another adultery; Matthew 5:32 says that whoever divorces his wife (except in the case of sexual immorality) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.
- Paul recalls the Lord’s command: a wife who has left her husband should remain unmarried or be reconciled to him (1 Corinthians 7:10–11).
- If the unbeliever leaves, the brother or sister is not bound (1 Corinthians 7:15); “if you marry, you have not sinned” (1 Corinthians 7:27–28)—to whom this statement applies is debated.
- After her husband’s death, a wife is free from the law and may marry (Romans 7:1–3).
- Interpretations differ: (1) remarriage while the former spouse is alive is always excluded; (2) it is permitted for the innocent party when the divorce is due to sexual immorality (Matthew 19:9); (3) it is also permitted when an unbelieving spouse leaves (1 Corinthians 7:15); (4) it is permitted after repentance for a previous divorce as well. The direct text ends where the choice among these interpretations begins.
- Application: the decision depends on the reason for and circumstances of the previous divorce; it is best discussed with a pastor.
The brief answer was prepared by the editorial team; the verse texts are from the Father’s Blessing Bible.
Key Scripture Passages
9 Scripture passages · Father’s Blessing Bible
Mark 10:11–12
11 And He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; 12 and if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Luke 16:18
Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and everyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
Matthew 5:32
But I tell you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on account of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Matthew 19:9
And I tell you: whoever divorces his wife, unless she is guilty of sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.
1 Corinthians 7:10–11
10 To the married I give this command—not I, but the Lord: a wife must not leave her husband. 11 But if she does leave, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband—and a husband must not divorce his wife.
1 Corinthians 7:15
But if the unbeliever leaves, let him leave. The brother or sister is not bound in such cases; God has called you to peace.
1 Corinthians 7:27–28
27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek a divorce. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face trouble in this life, and I want to spare you.
Romans 7:1–3
1 Do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her living husband; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning her husband. 3 So then, while her husband is alive, she will be called an adulteress if she marries another man; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.
Deuteronomy 24:1–4
1 If a man takes a wife and marries her, and she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found something objectionable about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, 2 and she leaves his house, goes away, and becomes another man’s wife, 3 but the latter husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband who took her as his wife dies, — 4 then her first husband, who sent her away, may not take her again as his wife after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the Lord [your God]. You must not bring sin upon the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
